University of Illinois System to increase tuition

CHAMPAIGN — Educational costs for incoming undergraduate students at the University of Illinois System will increase in the upcoming academic year.

The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois System voted to increase tuition on Thursday at all three campuses: Chicago, Springfield, and the main campus in Urbana-Champaign. This comes after not changing tuition rates for in-state students for nearly 15 years.

“Every year, it’s a heroic task to do this,” said University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen in an interview with Illinois Public Media. “Managing through difficult fiscal times but with an abiding commitment to affordability.”

The recent increase comes as the Trump administration has upended the stability of research grants going to colleges and universities in the past year. While the University of Illinois has felt some impacts, they’re not nearly as impacted as other institutions.

Board chairman Jesse Ruiz noted that the reason why costs are relatively low is a result of state support.

“We’re very fortunate that the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor’s Office have been very supportive of higher education and have increased higher education funding in our state,” Ruiz said.

State law requires that state universities hold tuition steady for in-state undergraduates for four years. The tuition increase will not impact students currently enrolled.

Over half of in-state students pay less than $3,000 per semester due to financial aid, according to the University of Illinois System.

What incoming students will have to pay

Incoming in-state students attending any campus in the University of Illinois System will only see a 2% increase. Those enrolling at the Springfield campus will pay nearly $200 more per year, as annual tuition increases to $10,037. Students enrolling at Chicago will see a $228 increase per year, with annual tuition rising to $11,652. Urbana-Champaign will have the highest increase, with $260 per year. Annual tuition at UIUC will increase to $13,252 per year.

The rates do not factor in differentials for specialized majors. Current students will not be impacted by the increase due to the guaranteed tuition law.

Out-of-state incoming students should expect to pay 2% to 5% more at the Chicago and Springfield campuses, while costs are set to increase between 7% and 14.5% at the Urbana-Champaign campus. Current out-of-state students will not be impacted.

International students should expect to experience the same rate hikes, except for those already in attendance.

Rate increases that will impact everyone

Although current students might not be impacted by the new tuition hike, they may be impacted by higher fees.

Room & board fees will increase by 3.5% at the Springfield campus, while the fees will increase by 5% at the Chicago and Urbana-Champaign campuses.

Tuition rates are set to increase for professional and online programs by up to 4%, although official figures were never released.

Student activity fees, even if the student doesn’t participate in sports or other activities, will also be increasing. Urbana-Champaign and Chicago are increasing those fees by 2% or less, 2% and 1.9%, respectively. Springfield is charging just over three times that much, as fees will increase by nearly 7%.

Potential bright spots for the University of Illinois System

Regardless of the increased fees, the University of Illinois System will see an increase in its undergrad graduate rate by up to 4%.

In the four-year degree program, Urbana-Champaign holds a 73% graduate rate, which could increase to as high as 77%. Both Chicago and Springfield sit at 42% and could increase up to 46%.

In a standard six-year program, Urbana-Champaign leads the three campuses at 85%, followed by Chicago at 62% and Springfield at 53%. That rate could increase up to 89%, 66%, and 57%, respectively.

Each campus has its own goals, which benefit the University of Illinois System as a whole.

At the Urbana-Champaign campus, they hold the largest retention of freshmen students in the nation, holding strong at roughly 95%.

In Chicago, it recently set an ambitious goal to increase its graduation rate by 10% over the next decade.

In Springfield, they serve a larger population of transfer and online students. This comes due to an influx of students coming in from two years of community college every year. Online programs have also been a point of convenience for students who are unable to meet on-campus requirements due to work or other commitments. Currently, roughly 44% of the UIS student body is enrolled in online programs.